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A Cross-National Comparison of Risk Factors for Teen Dating Violence in Mexico and the United States

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Abstract

Involvement in dating violence has been linked with negative health outcomes including depressive symptomology, substance use, and later expressions of aggressing and victimizing behaviors. Less is known about the prevalence and mental health correlates of teen dating violence in countries like Mexico where adult partner violence is high. Additional research on teen dating violence is also needed, as it may be an important precursor to adult partner violence and linked to other mental health problems. The current study used self-report ratings to assess the similarities and differences in risk factors associated with dating violence among middle school students in Mexico and the United States. The US sample (Nus = 15,099; Mus = 12.8; 49.5% female) included non-Hispanic Caucasian (24.9%), Hispanic American (20.3%), and African American (24.2%) adolescents. The Mexican sample (NMexico = 2211; MMexico = 13.67; 51% female) included 93.1% adolescents of Hispanic or Latin descent. Logistic regressions showed that dating violence victimization was reported at similar rates in the cross-national samples, though exposure to risk factors like deviant peers and substance use differed significantly by country. Our analyses indicated that, although the country of residence was not significantly associated with dating violence victimization, the strength of the association between some known risk factors and dating violence victimization varied as a function of nationality, such that there was a significant interaction between country of residence, Mexico or the US, and experiencing internalizing symptoms on experiencing physical dating violence victimization. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on dating violence, both inside and outside the US.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the William T. Grant Foundation, and National Institute of Justice to the last author.

Authors’ Contributions

S.L. conceived of the study, performed the statistical analyses and interpretation of the data, and led the writing of the manuscript. J.B. contributed to the conceptualization, statistical interpretation of the data, and contributed to the writing of the study by reviewing drafts and providing feedback. K.D. contributed to the conceptualization, statistical interpretation of the data, and contributed to the writing of the study by reviewing drafts and providing feedback. M.S. oversaw the Mexican administration of the study from which data for this study. C.B. oversaw implementation and administration of the study from which data for this study were drawn and contributed to the writing of the study by reviewing drafts and providing feedback. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the William T. Grant Foundation, and National Institute of Justice to the last author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, USA

    Samantha Ludin, Jessika H. Bottiani & Catherine P. Bradshaw

  2. Department of Family, Community & Mental Health Systems, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, USA

    Katrina Debnam

  3. University of Guadalajara, Av. Juárez No. 976, Centro, 44100, Guadalajara, Mexico

    Mercedes Gabriela Orozco Solis

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  1. Samantha Ludin
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Correspondence to Samantha Ludin.

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The study was approved by the Internal Review Board of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. The consent procedures were approved by the participating school and by the university Institutional Review Board.

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Ludin, S., Bottiani, J.H., Debnam, K. et al. A Cross-National Comparison of Risk Factors for Teen Dating Violence in Mexico and the United States. J Youth Adolescence 47, 547–559 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0701-9

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